Friday, September 19, 2014

Frederic Douglass Explains Racial Malice

First Published in DelawareLiberal on 9/19/2014 by ProgressivePopulist

I am
privileged to know and to have worked with Former Congressman Craig A.
Washington of Bastrop and Houston Texas who shared this with me. He
represented well the good people of Barbara Jordan's district after
having served in the Texas legislature.

Craig is every bit the
orator as was Frederic Douglass and a distinguished attorney in Texas,
honored by his State Bar and who is credited with many of Texas' high
profile cases which advanced civil liberties in that state. He has
always given generously of his valued intellect and leadership skills in
areas of progressive reform, including school integration movements
where we overthrew a racist, conservative school board in one of the
largest school districts in the U.S.A. which was opposing school
integration.

He also pro bono represented my spouse in her
successful fight to stay on the ballot in a State Board of Eduction
race, challenged as a "carpetbagger" by Republicans. She went on to
receive 44% of the vote against a prominent Republican who name appeared
on a local stadium; she got that vote advocating a pro-busing platform.

Frederic
Douglass was a brilliant leader in the abolitionist movement as well as
the women's suffrage movement; he was born in Maryland a slave and
later served in several public offices.
Craig makes these
observations about Frederic Douglass' seminal observations very
pertinent to the animosity President Obama has to wake up every day and
deal with with such grace and dignity.
Many people wonder why
Republican legislators AND OTHERS are so unrelenting on President Obama.
Frederick Douglass gave us the answer over 129 years ago years ago. How
Prophetic !

"Though the colored man is no longer subject to
barter and sale, he is surrounded by an adverse settlement which fetters
all his movements. In his downward course he meets with no resistance,
but his course upward is resented and resisted at every step of his
progress. If he comes in ignorance, in rags and wretchedness he conforms
to the popular belief of his character, and in that character he is
welcome; but if he shall come as a gentleman, a scholar and a
statesman, he is hailed as a contradiction to the national faith
concerning his race, and his coming is resented as impudence. In one
case he may provoke contempt and derision, but in the other he is an affront to pride and provokes malice."
Frederick Douglass

About Me

Moved to Wilmington, Delaware in mid-2013. Resided in Houston, Texas for 45 years. A widower, married Julie Jackson in 2007. Retired as a hospital marketing consultant in 2001.Have been a Democratic Party political activist for most of my adult life, organizing and mobilizing for the Party and its candidates. Consider myself a progressive populist. Early career included running communications for 35 campaigns. Have formed and led committees dealing with voter mobilization and precinct organizing, counter voter suppression and strategy.Co-founded the Progressive Populist Caucus of the Texas Democratic Party. Have served on the Texas Democratic Party Platform Committee numerous times. Also an active organizer for the anti-war movement since Vietnam and was active in the civil rights movement.